Chapter 14 - THE LAST HOWARD
Michael Kane didn’t run.
He hunted.
That was worse.
Ruiz moved Elena to a federal safe house.
Daniel stayed with her.
Vanessa returned to custody voluntarily for the first time.
Rebecca remained under protection.
Margaret agreed to cooperate.
Samuel woke under armed guard.
Every surviving piece of the Howard conspiracy was finally contained.
Except Michael.
Then Elena went into labor.
Six weeks early.
At first she thought it was stress.
Then the pain doubled.
Daniel saw her expression.
“What?”
“Hospital.”
His face changed.
“Now?”
“Now.”
The drive became the longest twenty minutes of Daniel’s life.
Police escorted them.
Ruiz met them at the emergency entrance.
Dr. Grant examined Elena.
“The baby is coming.”
Daniel squeezed Elena’s hand.
“Is she okay?”
Dr. Grant smiled.
“She’s early.”
“But she’s strong.”
Elena cried from relief.
Then the hospital lights flickered.
Ruiz immediately looked toward the hallway.
“Lock this floor.”
Daniel stared.
“You think he’s here?”
“I think we assume he is.”
Security sealed the maternity wing.
Elena’s contractions intensified.
There was no time to move her.
Daniel stayed beside her.
“You’re doing great.”
Elena glared at him.
“Don’t ever say that to a woman in labor.”
“Right.”
Another contraction.
She nearly crushed his hand.
“I deserved that.”
“Yes.”
Despite everything, Elena laughed.
Then alarms sounded outside.
Ruiz’s voice came through the radio.
“Unauthorized access, east stairwell.”
Daniel went pale.
Elena grabbed him.
“Stay.”
“I’m not leaving.”
Outside, Ruiz moved toward the stairwell.
The door opened.
A doctor stepped through.
Ruiz lowered his weapon slightly.
Then noticed the shoes.
Expensive leather.
Not hospital shoes.
“Hands!”
The man ran.
Ruiz chased him.
Michael Kane tore off the white coat.
He reached the maternity corridor.
Security officers blocked him.
Michael fired.
Chaos erupted.
Daniel heard the gunshot.
He moved toward the door.
Elena screamed.
“DANIEL!”
He turned.
Dr. Grant shouted.
“Baby’s coming!”
Daniel ran back.
Outside, Ruiz tackled Michael into a medication cart.
The gun skidded away.
Michael punched him.
Ruiz hit back.
Michael grabbed a scalpel.
Then Vanessa appeared behind him.
Still in handcuffs.
Escorted by two federal officers who had brought her for identification after Michael was spotted.
She kicked the scalpel from his hand.
Michael stared.
“You.”
Vanessa smiled.
“Me.”
He lunged.
Ruiz slammed him against the floor.
Officers cuffed him.
Inside the delivery room, Elena screamed one final time.
Then another sound filled the room.
A baby crying.
Everything stopped.
Daniel stared.
Dr. Grant lifted the tiny girl.
“Congratulations.”
Daniel began crying before Elena did.
“A girl?”
“A very angry little girl.”
Elena laughed through tears.
“Good.”
Daniel kissed Elena’s forehead.
“She’s perfect.”
Their daughter was placed against Elena’s chest.
Elena looked down at the tiny face.
All the fear.
The threats.
The staircase.
The fire.
The guns.
The money.
None of it mattered for several seconds.
“Hello, Sofia.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Sofia?”
“You don’t like it?”
“I love it.”
Outside, Michael heard the baby crying.
His face changed.
He understood.
The trust had survived.
The child had survived.
And he had failed.
Vanessa stood beside him.
“You lost.”
Michael laughed.
“You think that baby won?”
“No.”
Vanessa looked toward Elena’s room.
“I think we all lost.”
Ruiz led Michael away.
Before he disappeared into the elevator, Michael turned toward Daniel.
“Ask your wife what she plans to do with the company.”
Daniel stared.
Michael smiled.
“Because once she gives it back to Rebecca…”
His eyes moved toward the delivery room.
“…you’re not a billionaire anymore.”
The doors closed.
Daniel returned to Elena.
She had heard.
He knew she had.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Elena asked:
“Are you afraid?”
Daniel looked at his daughter.
Then his wife.
“No.”
“You could lose almost everything.”
Daniel sat beside her.
“I almost lost everything on a staircase.”
He kissed Elena’s hand.
“The rest is numbers.”
Elena smiled.
But the next morning, those numbers became very real.
Attorneys arrived.
Federal regulators arrived.
Rebecca arrived.
And Vanessa arrived in handcuffs.
Elena sat with Sofia sleeping against her chest.
The attorney placed the final ownership documents before her.
“If you sign these, control of Howard Holdings returns to Rebecca Price.”
“And Vanessa?”
“As Rebecca’s lawful heir, she eventually inherits according to Rebecca’s estate.”
Vanessa stared at the floor.
Daniel stood beside Elena.
Margaret watched through a remote prison conference line.
Everyone waited.
Elena picked up the pen.
Then Rebecca stopped her.
“No.”
Elena looked up.
Rebecca’s eyes were filled with tears.
“I don’t want it back.”
Nobody spoke.
Elena lowered the pen.
“What?”
Rebecca looked at Daniel.
Then Vanessa.
Then baby Sofia.
“That company destroyed every family that touched it.”
“I want something else.”
Vanessa frowned.
“What?”
May you like
Rebecca smiled sadly.
“I want us to end it.”
